Vegetables are easier to grow and easier to cook than meat, but this universality may not be a good choice for astronauts. A recent study by a team from the University of Delaware in the United States found that plants grown in weightlessness are more "fragile" and more susceptible to bacterial infections such as E. coli and salmonella than vegetables grown on the earth.
The International Space Station (ISS) is keen on experimenting with vegetables, and astronauts tend to leafy greens in a space garden called Veggie, providing a healthy, fresh alternative to dehydrated packaged foods in space.
However, a new study warns that space vegetables are exposing astronauts to potential health risks.
Plant roots are gr**itropism because the crown covering the tip of the root has a gravitational effect, causing the roots to grow in the direction of gravity (downward), while the plant itself grows in the opposite direction of gravity (upward).
But when researchers at the University of Delaware planted plants on a device that mimics a weightless environment, they found that the plants' ability to perceive gravity was confused, and they did not know which direction was up or down, which led to a decrease in their defense against stressors (such as bacteria), and eventually even if bacteria were present, the plants still opened their stomata for respiration, making it easier for bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli to invade leaf tissue.
Studies have found that plants grown in space are more susceptible to bacterial infections. (Source: University of Delaware).
Previous studies analysing the first vegetables grown on the International Space Station between 2014 and 2016 have found that the nutrient content of these vegetables appears to be higher than those grown on Earth, but the new study reveals further details.
Although Veggie Gardens has made many efforts to counteract the effects of microgravity on plants, the ISS is a closed system inhabited by a group of astronauts, and wherever there are humans, pathogens that can infect nearby plants can be present.
To reduce the risk of bacterial infections after astronauts chew vegetables, researchers suggest tweaking plant genes to prevent them from breathing in space with large open air holes.
Although vegetables are important nutrients**, we certainly don't want future astronauts to fail in long-term missions to the moon and Mars because they eat vegetables.
The new ** was published in the journals Scientific Reports and NPJ Microgr**ity.
Header image**:p ixabay).